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Pauline Letters · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Ephesians 5

God unites all things in Christ and forms one new, holy, love-shaped people.

New Testament

Ephesians 5

1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.

2Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

3But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

4nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks.

5Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

7Therefore don’t be partakers with them.

8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,

10proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.

11Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

12For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

13But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

14Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

15Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17Therefore, don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

24But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her,

26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without defect.

28Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

29For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly,

30because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

31“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.”

32This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.

33Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

God unites all things in Christ and forms one new, holy, love-shaped people. Read Ephesians 5 within the complete Ephesians overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5 contains 33 verses and about 557 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 33 closes: “Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include christ, himself, assembly, therefore, will, wife. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Ephesians 5

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Ephesians 5:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer